EAS201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 26: Microbial Mat, Biosorption, Trace Metal
22 Mar 2020
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Document Summary
Bacteria rapidly colonize surfaces in aquatic systems and produce extracellular polysaccharides. Eps is an organic material that allows bacteria to stick to the surface. If there is sufficient time and energy, biofilm thickens into a microbial mats. Much thicker (lots of different types of microbes living within them) Different microbes need different conditions, which is why they live at different depths. Microbial mats are not found everywhere (usually eaten by fish) Find them in environments that are too extreme for other life forms (ex. hot springs) Microbial mats can be covered by sediment, once they are buried, the cells move upwards over the sediment to colonize new surfaces. When the microbial mat is mineralized, it is called a stromatolite. Stromatolites are one of the oldest records of life on earth (~3 byo) Process by which bacterial surfaces bind to metal cations. Microbes are covered by cell membrane and cell wall.
